Malta Gaming Authority narrows Recognition Notice requirements after industry objections

The Malta Gaming Authority reduced several proposed compliance requirements for gambling companies operating under foreign licences and confirmed the revisions on 29 October 2026. The regulator said it will begin its first data collection covering 2025 before the end of 2026 and will treat business-to-business suppliers and consumer-facing operators differently.

What the MGA changed

The revised Recognition Notice framework removes a number of the original documentary burdens the regulator had proposed. Under the initial consultation, firms would have submitted detailed corporate ownership structures, five years of regulatory correspondence and extensive financial information. The MGA now intends to request only ultimate beneficial ownership details and material licensing or fitness matters, and will ask for less commercially sensitive information in many instances.

Instead of exact annual deposit volumes and values, companies may provide figures within predefined ranges, and payment methods will be reported in broader categories. The regulator also abandoned a plan for a standard legal opinion template after stakeholders said a single template would be difficult to apply across legal systems. The MGA told NEXT.io:

“Where appropriate, information may be requested through categories, ranges or thresholds, rather than requiring exact or highly granular data.”

B2B gaming suppliers will avoid several new obligations, while B2C operators will face additional reporting requirements under the adjusted approach. The regulator said the final framework will adopt a more differentiated approach between B2B and B2C Recognition Notice holders.

Why the review began

Malta introduced the Recognition Notice system to allow gambling companies licensed in other EU or EEA jurisdictions to provide services or supplies in or from Malta without a full separate Malta Gaming Authority licence. Differences in oversight between jurisdictions prompted the review, after Malta ranked the residual money laundering risk associated with Recognition Notices as medium‑high in its 2023 National Risk Assessment, compared with a medium rating for both remote and land-based gambling.

An earlier assessment identified 111 Malta-incorporated gaming companies operating through Recognition Notices in 2021, including 46 B2C operators, and those findings fed into the April 2026 consultation that formed part of Malta National AML/CFT Strategy 2024–2026.

Next steps and implementation

The MGA circulated a private Feedback Statement to Recognition Notice holders on 26 October 2026 and said it will provide further implementation details separately. The first reporting exercise will apply only to B2C operators and the regulator intends to stagger information requests rather than approach all existing Recognition Notice holders at once.

The Feedback Statement acknowledged that applying some requirements may necessitate amendments to existing Maltese legislation and emphasised targeted, risk-based engagement. The statement said:

“The final framework will therefore adopt a more differentiated approach between B2B and B2C RN holders, place greater emphasis on risk-based engagement, and rely on targeted information gathering that supports clearly defined regulatory, policy and risk-assessment objectives.”

The MGA intends to balance the need for additional monitoring with the practicalities raised by industry during consultation. B2B suppliers seeking details on the regulator's expectations can consult the regulator's materials and supplier notices; operators with consumer-facing services should prepare for the 2025 data request. B2B suppliers will see fewer new obligations than consumer-facing firms, and further regulatory context is available on regulation.